Juan Lavalle

Juan Lavalle (17 October 1797-9 October 1841) was Governor of Buenos Aires from 1 December 1828 to 26 June 1829, succeeding Manuel Dorrego and preceding Juan Jose Viamonte; he was the de facto head of state of Argentina and a leader of the Unitarios.

Biography
Juan Galo Lavalle was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 17 October 1797, and the family lived in Santiago, Chile from 1799 to 1807, when it returned to Buenos Aires. Lavalle served under Manuel Dorrego during the Argentine War of Independence and later served under Jose de San Martin at the Battle of Chacabuco and the Battle of Maipu in Chile. He returned to Buenos Aires in 1823 due to disagreements with Simon Bolivar, and he fought in the Cisplatine War with Brazil. In 1829, infuriated with Governor Dorrego's negotiation of a peace with Brazil in spite of the Argentine military's victories, Lavalle led a coup against Dorrego, executing him and seizing power as Governor of Buenos Aires. Lavalle and his government embarked on a reign of terror and sought to destroy the Federales, and San Martin decided to go into exile in Europe rather than side with either the Federales or Unitarios. Lavalle fought against Juan Manuel de Rosas' Federales during the Argentine Civil Wars, and Rosas forced him to resign as Governor. Nevertheless, Lavalle continued to serve as a Unitarios commander for decades, and he was murdered at his home in San Salvador de Jujuy in 1841.